Allergies explained.

An article on CNN.com perfectly explains the allergies that I have developed. I never had problems with allergies until I was in college. I now cannot eat most raw fruits and veggies without having an allergic reaction which can be as mild as an itchy tongue to as bad as a swollen lip and very itchy hives all over my face and in my mouth and throat. I figured it out a couple of years ago, but this article does a great job of explaining what happens to people with this particular sensitivity.

The science behind it basically says that your body has a sensitivity to certain tree pollens, and the proteins found in the pollen are very similar to proteins found in certain fruits and veggies. Once the food is cooked, the proteins change and your immune system will not react to them.

It has been very annoying dealing with this issue over the past several years. I used to love to eat apples, but now I can't unless they are cooked. I also have to be careful about eating raw carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, as well as avocados and strawberries. Raw almonds and stone fruit, such as peaches and nectarines, are particularly bad. Almonds and peaches are a part of the same subgenus, which could explain why. I even have to be careful about eating candy with raw almonds in it...if they are not roasted or smoked then my body doesn't care if it's covered in chocolate! I firmly believe that this allergy hinders my ability to eat healthy foods easily. I love the taste of these fruits and veggies and would have no problem eating them everyday, but it's just impossible. So I'm stuck with bananas and citrus fruits in my raw diet for now. I'm hoping that if we move to a different area of the country the pollens will be different, and my body might start to accept these foods again. Has anyone else ever experienced this or know anyone with a tree pollen sensitivity that leads to food allergies? (Mine is more specifically a Birch tree pollen sensitivity). See the article HERE.